I started on my Spring adventure on Sunday April 22.

I left about 8:30 AM and headed north encountering stormy weather just above Tampa, and the rest of the way on and off showers.  When I got gas somewhere around Ocala, I parked for a while and had some lunch.  Further up the road I stopped at  the first rest stop in SC and rested for about an hour.  I saw some people walking their pet rabbit on a leash.  

I had a little to eat and I felt good so I drove a couple more hours up the road, stopping at a rest stop at Tubeville, SC.  I watched TV for a while then went to sleep about 10 PM  I am up at 4 having coffee and breakfast and running my generator.  It was cold in the night and rainy, got down in the 40’s, I  had to run the heat. Heading out about 5:30, I got some more rain and about 8:30 and in the heaviest downpour my windshield wiper unattached from the arm, I could not see but somehow made it to the shoulder.  I waited til the showers passed and I got out to fix the wiper. I was so glad that it did not fly completely off.

Happy to be here!

In September 2011, I underwent open heart surgery to repair my clogged arteries. I had cardiac bypass surgery which involves taking a vein out of your leg and using it to "bypass" the clogged arteries. My father died in 1973 from this same ailment (which is hereditary) and I have been aware of my condition for several years having been treated for it with a "stent" in 2001. My mother also had this disease and had bypass surgery in 1999. My surgery went well and they bypassed six (yeah 6!) arteries. The first days of recovery were the toughest days of my life. I was bloated up and looked like a big puffy clown. I could hardly move and had several blisters the size of golf balls behind my knee that continuously drained. If they told you that you would feel like this or that they pump about 40 pounds of water into your body, you would never have this surgery. I was in such pain & discomfort that I spent the first six weeks sleeping upright in a chair (when I could sleep). Initially, I remember thinking that I had made a bad mistake. If this was my quality of life, that I should have just died. My "Angel" was with me every step of the recovery and without her I don't know that I would have made it through this. She bathed me, wiped my butt, helped me stand up & sit down, waited on me hand & foot, fixed my meals, regulated my medications. I am diabetic and I have to take insulin shots. It is dangerous to have surgery when your blood sugar is not regulated and it also slows the healing time. I had to keep a close watch on my blood glucose. Somehow, I made it through this. Now, almost four months later, I am starting to feel better again. It takes time to heal when they saw open your breast bone, take your heart out and fix it, then sew you back up with wire! My leg was a problem too. Once they remove that vein, your leg takes a long time to heal, my leg still swells up daily. I continue to feel better everyday and life is bearable now. This operation is truly a miracle of modern medicine!

It is true what people say - what does not kill us makes us stronger!

Catching up

I want to keep up with this blog, but it seems like I never do! Anyway, in an effort to catch up, here is what has been happening. I traveled to New York City on the 4th of July. For several years now I have wanted to see the Macy's fireworks display "in person". It was not to be again this year. Even though I was on the tenth floor of my hotel in Brooklyn, I was too far away and facing east and the fireworks were west of my location! I had to go to bed a 9 PM anyway because I was going with my brother to the hospital early the next morning. Maybe next year for the fireworks!

My older brother, Doug, discovered that he had low iron when he went to give blood in May of this year. Further tests revealed that he had a tumor, a Leiomyosarcoma, which is a rare form of cancer that occurs in only about four of a million people. Doug had no symptoms of this disease other than the low iron. The slow growing tumor, resistant to chemo & radiation therapy, was about this size of his fist. There is no cure for Leiomyosarcoma, the only treatment is surgical resection. So on July 5th, at 4 AM, my brother, his wife & daughter and I were in a car traveling up FDR drive in Manhattan, en route to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital. Dr. Murray Brennan, the leading sarcoma surgeon in the county would op

erate on my brother in an attempt to remove the tumor and save Doug's life. I remember the beautiful drive in the car in pre-dawn Manhattan, hoping that this wasn't Doug's last view of his favorite city.

Doug went into surgery around 7:30. We waited several hours until the doctor called us into a private room. Dr. Brennan told us (in his New Zealand accent) that he got the tumor, got the whole thing, and that no further treatment would be necessary. We were so happy and relieved. We found out days later, from his "fellow" surgeon, Dr. Jennifer LaFemina, that Dr. Brennan is retiring and only takes a very few cases. We feel like Doug won the lottery by going to Sloan-Kettering and getting the leading Leiomyosarcoma expert for a surgeon! After a week in the hospital, Doug has gone home to Virginia, with hopefully no recurrence of this dread cancer!

Tennessee

We traveled to Tennessee by flying to Asheville, North Carolina via Atlanta, Georgia. We were on a small 50 person jet from Atlanta to Asheville and it was bumpy & exciting, like a roller coaster ride into Asheville with cross winds! We rented a car and drove an hour over to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to the condo. It is a beautiful place, with a large back porch that backs up on the golf course. It was very peaceful & quiet. We did NOTHING for four days and just enjoyed ourselves, hiking & taking photos. The foliage is on the change, going from green to gold & red. We spent time in the Smokey Mountains National Park. Angela's parent's condo is really nice, two bedrooms, two baths, plenty of room. the mountains are nice, a stark contrast to the flatlands of Florida. The weather was stellar! 70's in the daytime & 40's at night. We had a fire in the fireplace. the only downside is that both of us caught a cold- we think from all the re-breathing on the airplane! No matter where we caught it, we were miserable for a few days when we got home!

I like to visit the mountains, but I love my home in Florida - I wouldn't live anyplace else!

Summer end

Today is the first day of Fall, but you would not know this by the Florida weather. The long hot summer continues, with a few days of low humidity to make you think it might be cooler. I have done a lot this summer. I am always busy doing the everyday house/yard work. I went to New York City again. This time my son and I went to see his girlfriend off as she moves up to New York University for her Freshman year of college. I was lucky that my brother, Doug, was up in city at the same time and we got to hang out. My brother is very knowledgeable about the city. Plenty of walking when you are up there! My blood sugar gets out of whack when I do so much walking. If I lived in a big city- my diabetes would be under control! I love the city. There are so many things to do, places to see, great food, great shopping. It is fun, but certainly not cheap! It is difficult to get a nice hotel room in Manhattan for less that $180. a night. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Soho, and it was $200. a night. It was a small but clean, nice room. They have a nice free continental breakfast. I am sure I will be going up to the city a lot more now. I am looking for a campground to drive the RV up and camp, but still be close enough to go into the city. I have checked out Liberty Harbor in Jersey City that is right across the water from the Statue of Liberty. Staying there is $60. a night, and it is an asphalt parking lot, not a fancy campground, but I would enjoy staying in my own digs just a stones throw away from the city! Next month I am going to Tennessee for a few days to spend some time in the Smokey Mountains!

Surprise visit

Matthew traveled from Naval Nuclear School in South Carolina in his new car to visit us over the Memorial Day weekend. He called on Friday and told us that he was en-route. His mom was happy & we had a nice visit with him. Our little dog, Idgy, loves our boys and was glad to see Matt & play with him. After he left on Monday, Idgy sat by the door overnight waiting for him to return. Dogs really are our best friends!

Last look

I went to the beach today. I am trying to get my last looks at a beach with blue/green water before it turns brown with oil. I went to Caspersen Beach in Venice, Florida - I haven't been down there in about 15 years. It is a place that people used to frequent to look for shark's teeth. Years back they were abundant, every handful of sand had many sharks teeth. Now it is a little harder to find them & you see people using sand baskets to scoop them up.

Years ago, we took a trip there with my friends Barb & Enita from Texas. Enita took a recipe from a cookbook called "Manifold Destiny" (I think that was the name of it) and cooked our lunch on the hot engine of her van as we traveled the hour it took to get there. Imagine the looks on people passing by as we stopped along the highway half-way there for Enita to check her roast. She was under the hood of the van with oven gloves, unwrapping her meal so she could turn it over, then wiring it back onto the manifold! What a sight! We had a wonderful hot lunch when we arrived at Caspersen Beach! I fear that soon these beach areas will be gone, and all the sea life will be dead. I hope by some miracle the Gulf can recover - but I don't see how.

My boy

Preston went with his girlfriend to her senior prom this past weekend. I am glad that he finally went to a school dance; he never participated in his own high school stuff. He is growing up and not as shy as he used to be- it is nice to see him so happy and in love. Preston's girlfriend has been accepted at NYU and will be moving to New York in the fall. Preston would like to go with her, but it probably will not be financially possible.

Preston is out of college for the summer and is so far unsuccessful in finding a job. I am hoping he will find something soon!

New beginnings

I neglect my blog for a while, then someone says, "Hey, why haven't you been blogging?" I thought no one was reading this! I am trying to catch up, and I spend my computer time on Facebook - though I don't like it as much.

Lately I have been working on my new Winnebago motorhome. I traded my Durango & travel trailer for it. I miss having a truck, I only have this small sports car now. I spend time/too much money at Lowes & Home Depot and I have to remember not to buy anything BIG because I can't get it home! We went camping for the Mother's Day weekend at nearby Oscar Scherer State Park. It is a lovely park & the first time I had been there. We took our three dogs with us (a first for that as well). They were fine, but we worried about keeping them confined & on their leashes for fear they would get lost. They loved being with us and getting lots of walks. I miss the times when a bunch of us would have a group camping trip. Maybe we should start doing that again!

I love the internet. I try to remember what life was like without it. Back in the 80's I was a street cop, and we did not even have walkie-talkies. Cell phones were a dream of the future. We would have to be near the squad car to call for help, or just handle the situation. It seems so dangerous now. The 80's were the beginning of the "no respect" time for cops, and many people would fight with the cops rather than comply. I was lucky to get by unscathed for the most part. Only once, on a traffic stop, a guy knocked me to the ground to get away. We caught him later in the night and found out he was an escaped prisoner.
Cops recently arrested the murderer who took the life of my doctor's wife. What a senseless crime. Here is an account of the current case:
Sunday, february 14
Arrest Made in Briles Murder
Finally an arrest has been made in the murder of Kathleen Briles, which occurred on August 3, 2009 in Manatee, Florida. Manatee Sheriff Brad Steube made the announcement last week. Delmer Smith is a suspect in multiple burglaries in Manatee and Sarasota counties and is the prime suspect in the murder of Mrs. Briles. Smith used a sewing machine to beat Briles to death and apparently was found to have Briles' property in his possession. The main item is a rare Minnie Mouse Key chain, which Smith had in his possession. Dr. Briles identified the key chain belonging to his wife, which he gave as an anniversary gift. The THUG also attempted to sell a necklace belonging to Briles by hiring an accomplice to sell the item. EDITOR'S COMMENT: This has to be the scum of the earth. Florida does have the death penalty and we can only hope it will be applied in this case. Kathleen Briles is the wife of Dr. James Briles; son of the late Iowa Senator, James Edward and Marilyn Lorene Tendall Briles. Not until this case is done and "justice" is carried out will the Briles Family find true relief and peace.

Well, Thanks to Minnie Mouse, the perp had it on his key chain! There is no justice that will ease the pain of having a murdered loved one.

Matthew has been at Navy boot camp now for a week and a day. His mother cried for the first day, but now she seems to be adjusting. It is strange to think that Matt will never be back here to live, and now we have two more bedrooms in our house. When Preston left in December, I made his bedroom into an office, spreading out and bringing in all the paperwork, bills and stuff that we had always kept in the dining room.

We got a letter yesterday telling us Matt's graduation date is in March. We made airline reservations this morning. We are wondering what the weather will be like in Illinois the end of March. It will be colder than tropical Florida, we know that much. I am trying to collect some winter clothes, long johns, gloves, hats - stuff we don't usually need around here.

It is so strange not to have kids in the house. Just me & the pups here in the day. I talk to them a lot. They cock their heads and look strangely at me. They must be wondering where the boys are. I talk to Preston once in a while, but mostly if he needs something. I try to remember that there was a time when I wanted to be away from my parents and just independent & hang out with my friends. I wonder how my parents felt about it. They never mentioned it. I won't either, but I really miss him!

altered state

Any kind of medication alters my mental state. If I take even as much as a baby aspirin, I can feel the effect on my mind. It is no wonder I feel "crazy" sometimes. I am on two meds for hypertension, one for high cholesterol, one for diabetes, and a couple of months ago the doctor put me on insulin injections. Just keeping up with taking, ordering, counting all this medication is a chore, but with insulin, you have to eat something every couple of hours or you get dizzy & spacey! Today Angela & I were in the grocery store and I got a little dizzy. Suspecting low blood sugar, I got a Life Saver candy to suck on and went to sit down on the bench by the check out counters. "Just leave me alone" is my usual mantra as I sit quietly trying to feel better. Little did I know as I sat there on the bench that sign was on my forehead. You know the one, the cop sign I used to have, "TALK TO ME, IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER" An old man asks if he can sit on the other end of the bench (old, I really mean he was probably my age!). I say "of course", (of course) and he sits down & immediately says, "I had to put down my best friend today". "Oh, no", I say- hoping he meant his dog & that he is not a crazed killer making a confession. He proceeds to tell me the whole tear-jerking story about how they hoped the dog could make it through the weekend, but that this morning she was just so sick with liver cancer that they had to take her & have her euthanized. He relayed to me that he is restoring an old car in his garage and that everyday when he worked on it, the dog stayed right there at his side. He said that he thought when he finished that car, he would have the dogs name painted on the back of it as a tribute to her. He told me that he loved that dog. Finally, Angela rescued me from the bench when she finished paying for the groceries. The dizziness had passed but then I was an emotional mess from the damn dog story and people were staring at me crying as I put the groceries in the trunk!

Uneventful Christmas

Christmas is just not the same without kids around.

Preston came by for a couple of hours. Matt spent most of the day in his room. Ang cooked a turkey dinner and I was grateful that the four of us could have dinner together. I couldn't help thinking that it was the last time in a long time that we would all be around the table. Such is life. Hug your babies 'cause they won't be babies long!

Idgy got a "big dog" haircut at the groomers. She is teething on everything and losing teeth left & right!

No more fuzzy puppy!

We start Basic I puppy school next week. I hope she is a good girl & not the devil dog she is at home!

I still have my fur kids to keep me busy! Happy New Year to everyone!

Hemi got a haircut too!

I spend my day picking up sticks!

"Idgy" will be five months old at the end of December. What a cute dog she is- but a bundle of work!

She loves to find socks or anything else the humans own, so she can taunt you with it and dare you to catch her as she runs around the house.

I am cute, give me a treat, is what she says with her eyes, but if you don't get the message that way - she will bark at you!

No matter how many sticks she drags in from the yard, or toys she scatters to chew on, she cannot sooth her sore puppy teeth as they begin to make way for dog teeth.

Fender bender

I got "side-swiped" the other night by a big Ford F-150 truck! We came together as we turned at the same time (from different directions) on to a two lane street. He was in my lane, but of course he said that I was in his lane. Since there were no independent witnesses - it's my word against his. The Florida State Trooper who wrote the accident said that our insurance companies would fight it out. I have $250. deductible & a smashed left front fender. (the photo is before the wreck) The estimate was a whopping $1200.+! Truth be told, I usually drive too fast in my sporty little car. On the occasion of the accident, I was going the posted speed, so I guess I am lucky. Accidents happen so quickly; I am glad to say that no one was hurt. My car is in the body shop being repaired. I guess I will be riding my bike for the next few days. (I need the exercise anyway) During the holidays, one out of every four drivers is IMPAIRED! Be careful out there. Drive defensively!

Hurry up & wait!

Matt was sick with a cold & ear infection so he could not go in the Navy until he is better. They changed his ship date to January 25th. He was so disapointed, he wants to hurry up and get on with it.

He will have plenty of waiting to do when he gets in. There is always something to wait for in such a big organization like the Navy.

Today is his 19th birthday and he expected to be starting boot camp today!

It seems like only a few weeks ago I was reading Preston his favorite book, "Prince Valentino".


Yesterday we were packing up all the stuff from his room for him to move and we came across the book. I was suprised when he said that he wanted to keep it and put it in a box to take with him to his new apartment.

I asked him if he wanted me to read it to him one more time and he said, "Not right now." It is strange to see your little boy as a man. I smile at him and remember the slide show in my head of all his childhood quips, all his teenage challenges. I think back to the time when I first left my parents to get my own place. What exciting times!

He called last night, his first night in the new place to tell me that he forgot his bathroom stuff, toothbrush, razor, shampoo & soap. Of course, I got in the car and took it right over to him!

My other boy, my partner's son, Matthew, leaves for the Navy next Tuesday. It will be so weird being childless. All of a sudden our small cracker-box house has two empty bedrooms! Maybe we will make and office or a workout room, or both!

New beginnings

I hate change. I always want everything to stay pretty much the same. I am even resistant to switching the furniture around. Over the years I have learned to live with myself, I MAKE myself change the things that need changing - throw away the old one, get a new one, stuff you can't fix anymore. My son must have inherited this trait from me. He never likes any change. Don't move stuff around in his room, he'd rather see things stay the same. Imagine my suprise when he said to me last week that it was time for him to leave home, move closer to college, move into an apartment with a friend. First I was shocked. (Why would you want to leave home? You have it so good here!) Shock gave way to good sense and I realized that it is the natural course of things. I just did not know it would happen so soon. He will be 20 years old in a couple of months; the time went by so fast. Did I tell him enough, show him enough? Our time together was so short, and I told him this. He said, "It hasn't been that short, it has been my whole life." My heart is breaking but at the same time I am happy & thrilled for him to begin this journey of his life. He is not going to Europe after all, he will only be 20 minutes away!

Endless summer

Well, it is November. In Florida that means that we have made it through another hurricane season. (June-November) YEA! There were very few named storms, most of them stayed in the Atlantic and did not come near us. Last year in preparation of getting my new windows, I painted all my window inserts white, mostly to preserve the wood. I store these panels back in my shed. I have to constantly check and re-check everything I have back there because in hot, sunny Florida we have a lot of bugs. Lately, I have been "bugged" by black carpenter ants. They seem to be all over and get into every nook & cranny and set up nests everywhere. I recently got a new outside gas grill and found them living up under the gas tank of the old one. They had also made a nest in the electric box of the rotisserie. I had a hell of a time getting all of them out of there with bug spray, then I had to take it apart and clean out their "nest mess". It is not very pleasant and very time consuming to keep up with all of this maintenance, but I guess that is the price you pay to live in paradise. I wish we would get a little cold weather. I have lived in Florida since 1975 and this is the warmest it has ever been this late in the year. I would be happy with any temp below 80 degrees! Remind me of this post when I have to go to Chicago in February!

Custom made urns

Since none of us get out of this life alive. . . I thought I would show you my friend Marion's urns. You might remember me telling you about my talented woodworker friend in an earlier post. She is the one who made the murphy bed and the Adirondack chairs for me. Anyway, she has made urns for people and for pets and here are a few photos of her work. She makes them in all sizes, according to your needs.

Contact me at my e-mail if you are interested in purchasing an urn or if you just want more information about them.